Transmitting Notification Messages for an Electric Vehicle Charging Network

ABSTRACT

An electric vehicle charging station network server that manages a plurality of charging stations receives subscriber notification message preferences for a subscriber (e.g., electric vehicle operator) that indicate one or more events of interest for which the subscriber wishes to receive notification messages. A set of one or more contact points associated with the subscriber is also received. The server receives data associated with the subscriber that indicates that a charging session at one of the charging stations has been established for an electric vehicle associated with the subscriber. The server detects an event of interest for the subscriber and transmits a notification message for that event to at least one of the set of contact points associated with the subscriber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 16/259,871, filed Jan.28, 2019, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/372,726,filed Feb. 17, 2009, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,189,359, which is herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND Field

Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of charging electricvehicles, and more specifically to transmitting notification messagesfor an electric vehicle charging network.

Background

Charging stations are typically used to provide charging points forelectric vehicles (e.g., electric battery powered vehicles,gasoline/electric battery powered vehicle hybrid, etc.). Since vehicleswith electric batteries must periodically recharge their electricbattery(ies) (or other electricity storage devices such assupercapacitors), charging stations provide convenient access for thatcharging. For example, charging stations may be located in designatedcharging locations (e.g., similar to locations of gas stations), parkingspaces (e.g., public parking spaces and/or private parking space), etc.

A typical charging station includes a power receptacle to receive anelectrical plug (coupled with the battery). The charging station mayinclude a door, which may be lockable, to cover and protect the powerreceptacle and prevent unauthorized access to the power receptacle. Forexample, prospective customers typically request service from thecharging station (e.g., by waving a radio-frequency identification(RFID) device near a RFID receiver on the charging station). If thecustomer is authorized, the door will unlock allowing the customer toplug in their charging cord into the receptacle. The door locks whenshut (with the cord inside) which prevents an unauthorized removal ofthe charging cord. The door may be unlocked by the same customer (e.g.,by waving the same RFID device near the RFID receiver on the chargingstation) in order to remove the charging cord.

Electric vehicles can be recharged from a local electricity grid. Thesevehicles can also be a source of electric power to be transferred to thelocal electricity grid. The transfer of electricity stored in electricvehicles to the local electric grid is referred to as vehicle-to-grid(V2G). V2G is particularly attractive for electric vehicles which havetheir own charging devices, such as battery electric vehicles withregenerative braking and plug-in hybrid vehicles. V2G may help meetdemand for electricity when demand is at its highest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may best be understood by referring to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings that are used to illustrateembodiments of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary charging system according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary network of charging stations accordingto one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the charging stationillustrated in FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary portals of the charging station networkserver illustrated in FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary operations fortransmitting notification messages to subscribers according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary operations fortransmitting notification messages to hosts according to one embodimentof the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary architecture of acomputing device that may be used in some embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth.However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may bepracticed without these specific details. In other instances, well-knowncircuits, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail inorder not to obscure the understanding of this description. Those ofordinary skill in the art, with the included descriptions, will be ableto implement appropriate functionality without undue experimentation.

References in the specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”,“an example embodiment”, etc., indicate that the embodiment describedmay include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, butevery embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of oneskilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed.

In the following description and claims, the terms “coupled” and“connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should beunderstood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other.Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicatethat two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contactwith each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are indirect physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also meanthat two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, butyet still co-operate or interact with each other.

The techniques shown in the figures can be implemented using code anddata stored and executed on one or more computing devices (e.g.,charging stations, charging station network servers, etc.). As usedherein, a charging station is a piece of equipment, including hardwareand software, to charge electric vehicles. Such computing devices storeand communicate (internally and with other computing devices over anetwork) code and data using machine-readable media, such as machinestorage media (e.g., magnetic disks; optical disks; random accessmemory; read only memory; flash memory devices; phase-change memory) andmachine communication media (e.g., electrical, optical, acoustical orother form of propagated signals — such as carrier waves, infraredsignals, digital signals, etc.). In addition, such computing devicestypically include a set of one or more processors coupled to one or moreother components, such as a storage device, one or more input/outputdevices (e.g., a keyboard, a touchscreen, and/or a display), and anetwork connection. The coupling of the set of processors and othercomponents is typically through one or more busses and bridges (alsotermed as bus controllers). The storage device and signals carrying thenetwork traffic respectively represent one or more machine storage mediaand machine communication media. Thus, the storage device of a givendevice typically stores code and/or data for execution on the set of oneor more processors of that device. Of course, one or more parts of anembodiment of the invention may be implemented using differentcombinations of software, firmware, and/or hardware.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference tothe drawings, which are provided as illustrative examples of theinvention so as to enable those skilled in the art to practice theinvention. Notably, the figures and examples below are not meant tolimit the scope of the present invention to a single embodiment, butother embodiments are possible by way of interchange of some or all ofthe described or illustrated elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary charging system according to oneembodiment of the invention. The charging system illustrated in FIG. 1includes the electric vehicle charging station 120 (hereinafter referredto as the “charging station 120”), which is coupled with the power grid130 over the power line 135. The power grid 130 may be owned and/oroperated by local utility companies or owned and/or operated by privatepersons/companies. The charging station 120 is also coupled with thedata control unit 170 over the WPAN (Wireless Personal Area Network)line 175 (e.g., Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc.) or other LAN (Local AreaNetwork) links (e.g., Ethernet, PLC, WiFi, etc.). The data control unit170 is coupled with the electric vehicle charging station network server180 (hereinafter “server” 180) over the WAN (Wide Access Network)connection 185 (e.g., Cellular (e.g., CDMA, GPRS, etc.) WiFi Internetconnection, Plain Old Telephone Service, leased line, etc.). The datacontrol unit 170 relays messages between the charging station 120 andthe server 180. According to one embodiment of the invention, the datacontrol unit 170 is part of another charging station as will bedescribed in more detail with reference to FIG. 2.

The charging station 120 controls the application of electricity fromthe power grid 130 to the power receptacle 115. The power receptacle 115may be any number of types of receptacles such as receptacles conformingto the NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) standards5-15, 5-20, and 14-50 or other standards (e.g., BS 1363, CEE7, etc.) andmay be operating at different voltages (e.g., 120V, 240V, 230V, etc.).According to one embodiment of the invention, a lockable door covers thepower receptacle 115 and is locked in a closed position (without a cordbeing plugged in while the charging station 120 is not in use) andlocked in a charging position (while a cord is plugged into the powerreceptacle during a charging session). While the door is locked in thecharging position, the charging cord plugged into the power receptacle115 cannot be removed. Only authorized vehicle operators (thoseauthorized to use the charging station 120) and authorizedadministrative personnel can unlock the door to access the powerreceptacle 115. Thus, access to the power receptacle 115 is limited toauthorized vehicle operators and administrative personnel (e.g., utilityworkers, operators of the charging system network, etc.). Thus, thelocking door protects the power receptacle 115 while the chargingstation 120 is not in use and also prevents charging cords from beingunplugged by unauthorized persons during charging.

Operators of vehicles may use the charging station 120 to charge theirelectric vehicles. For example, the electricity storage devices (e.g.,batteries, supercapacitors, etc.) of electric vehicles (e.g., electricpowered vehicles, gasoline/electric powered vehicle hybrids, etc.) maybe charged through use of the charging station 120. In one embodiment ofthe invention, the operators of electric vehicles provide their owncharging cord to charge their electric vehicle. For example, theelectric vehicle operator 145 plugs the electrical connector 160 of thecharging cord 140 into on-board charging circuitry of the electricvehicle 110 (which is coupled with the electricity storage device of thevehicle 110) and plugs the electrical connector 165 of the charging cord140 into the power receptacle 115.

The electric vehicle operator 145 may use the communication device 150to initiate and request a charging session for the electric vehicle 110.The communication device 150 may be a WLAN or WPAN device (e.g., one ortwo-way radio-frequency identification (RFID) device, mobile computingdevice (e.g., laptops, palmtop, smartphone, multimedia mobile phone,cellular phone, etc.)), ZigBee device, etc. The communication device 150communicates unique operator-specific information (e.g., operatoridentification information, etc.) to the charging station 120 (eitherdirectly or indirectly through the server 180). In some embodiments ofthe invention, electric vehicle operator 145 may use the communicationdevice 150 to monitor the charging status of the electric vehicle 110.In one embodiment of the invention, the communication device 150 may becoupled with the electric vehicle 110.

Based on the information communicated by the communication device 150, adetermination is made whether the operator 145 is authorized to use thecharging station 120 and thus may access the power receptacle 115. Inone embodiment of the invention, the charging station 120 locallydetermines whether the operator 145 is authorized (e.g., by checkingwhether the operator 145 is represented on a list of authorized usersstored in the charging station 120). In another embodiment of theinvention, the charging station 120 may transmit an authorizationrequest that includes the information read from the communication device150 to the server 180 (through the data control unit 170) forauthorization. In another embodiment of the invention, the server 180receives the charging session request from the operator 145 directly anddetermines whether the operator 145 is authorized. In any of theseembodiments, if the operator 145 is authorized, the charging station 120energizes the power receptacle 115. Additionally, if there is a lockeddoor covering the power receptacle 115, the charging station 120 unlocksthat door to allow the operator 145 to plug in the charging cord 140.

It should be understood that the operator 145 may request a chargingsession from the charging station 120 differently in some embodiments ofthe invention. For example, the operator 145 may interact with a paymentstation coupled with the charging station 120, which may then sendappropriate instructions to the charging station 120 regarding thecharging of the vehicle 110 (e.g., instructions to unlock the doorcovering the power receptacle 115, energize the power receptacle 115,etc.). The payment station may function similarly to a payment stationfor a parking space. In addition, the payment station coupled with thecharging station may be used both for parking payment and chargingpayment.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a charging session isestablished after an operator has been authenticated and authorized toinitiate a charging session (e.g., may use the charging station 120 atthe particular time of the day), after a charging cord has been pluggedinto the power receptacle 115, and after the door to the powerreceptacle 115 has been closed and locked. For example, a chargingsession is established with the vehicle 110 after the operator 145 hasbeen authorized, after the charging cord 140 has been plugged into thepower receptacle 115, and after the door covering the power receptacle115 has been closed and locked.

The server 180 provides services for multiple charging stations. Theserver 180 stores vehicle operator information (e.g., operator accountinformation, operator contact information (e.g., operator name, streetaddress, email address, telephone number, etc.)) and typically isresponsible for accounting (e.g., amount of electricity purchased byindividual vehicle operators, etc.). In one embodiment of the invention,the server 180 includes a subscriber portal (available through theInternet) which allows subscribers (owners and operators of electricvehicles) to register for service (which may include providinginformation regarding their electric vehicles, providing paymentinformation, providing contact information, etc.) and perform otherfunctions (e.g., pay for charging sessions, determine availability ofcharging stations, check the charging status of their electricvehicle(s), etc.). In addition, the server 180 may include a host portal(available through the Internet) which allows owners or administratorsof the charging station to configure their charging stations and performother functions (e.g., determine average usage of charging stations,etc.). Charging stations may also be configured using other means (e.g.,through Telnet, user interface, etc.) in some embodiments of theinvention.

While FIG. 1 illustrates a single charging station 120, it should beunderstood that many charging stations may be networked to the server180 (through one or more data control units) and/or to each other. FIG.2 illustrates an exemplary network of charging stations according to oneembodiment of the invention. The charging station network 200 includesthe server 180 and the charging stations 120, 210, 215, 220, 225, 230,and 235. The server 180 is providing services for each of the chargingstations 120, 210, 215, 220, 225, 230, and 235. The charging stations120, 210, 215, and 220 are part of the radio group 270. The chargingstations 230 and 235 are part of the radio group 280. The chargingstation 225 is the only charging station in the radio group 275. As usedherein, a radio group is a collection of one or more charging stationsthat collectively has a single connection to a server. Each radio groupincludes one or more data control units (DCUs) which connect thecharging stations with the server. Typically, DCUs are implemented alongwith a charging station. However, a data control unit may be implementedseparately from any charging station.

Each DCU acts as a gateway to the server 180 for those charging stationsthat are coupled with that DCU. It should be understood that chargingstations need not have a direct link to a DCU (e.g., a charging stationmay be directly linked to another charging station which itself has adirect link to a DCU). For example, DCU 170 (of the radio group 270 andimplemented in the charging station 220) is coupled with the server 180through the WAN link 292 and is coupled with each of the chargingstations 120, 210, and 215. The charging stations 120 and 215 aredirectly coupled with the DCU 170 via the WPAN links 282 and 286respectively. The charging station 210 is indirectly coupled with theDCU 170 via the WPAN link 284 to the charging station 215 which isitself directly coupled with the DCU 170 via the WPAN link 286. Thus,the charging stations 120, 210, and 215 transmit messages to, andreceive messages from, the server 180 via the DCU 170. The DCU 225 (ofthe radio group 275 and part of the charging station 225) is coupledwith the server 180 through the WAN link 296. The DCU 260 (of the radiogroup 280) is coupled with the server 180 through the WAN link 294 andis coupled with the charging station 230 via the WPAN link 288.

Radio groups represent the network topology of a collection of chargingstations. Typically, these charging stations are located relativelyclose (e.g., on the same street, in the same parking garage, in the sameblock, etc.). In addition to radio groups, administrator definedcollection of charging stations may also be defined. For example, thecharging stations 215 and 235 are part of the logical group 285. Logicalgroups are a collection of one or more charging stations that anadministrator defines. Typically, the charging stations included in alogical group share some set of common features. As illustrated in FIG.2, logical groups may include charging stations from different radiogroups.

It should be understood that the network architecture illustrated inFIG. 2 is exemplary, and other architectures may be used in embodimentsof the invention (e.g., each charging station may have a directconnection with the server 180).

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the charging station 120according to one embodiment of the invention. The charging station 120includes the charging station controller 305, the electricity controldevice 310, the electricity measuring device 320, the RFID reader 330,the user interface 335, the display unit 340, and one or moretransceivers 350 (e.g., wired transceiver(s) (e.g., Ethernet, power linecommunication (PLC), etc.) and/or wireless transceiver(s) (e.g.,802.15.4 (e.g., ZigBee, etc.), Bluetooth, WiFi, Infrared, GPRS/GSM,CDMA, etc.)). It should be understood that FIG. 3 illustrates anexemplary architecture of a charging station, and other, differentarchitectures may be used in embodiments of the invention describedherein. For example, some implementations of charging stations may notinclude a user interface, an RFID reader, or a connection to a network.

The RFID reader 330 reads RFID tags from RFID enabled devices (e.g.,smartcards, key fobs, etc., embedded with RFID tag(s)) of operators thatwant to use the charging station 120. For example, the operator 145 maywave/swipe the communication device 150 (if an RFID enabled device) nearthe RFID reader 330 to initiate a charging session from the chargingstation 120.

The RFID reader 330 passes the information read to the charging stationcontroller 305. The charging station controller 305 is programmed toinclude instructions that establish charging sessions with the vehicles.According to one embodiment of the invention, a charging session isestablished after an operator has been authenticated and authorized toinitiate a charging session (e.g., may use the charging station 120 atthe particular time of the day), after a charging cord has been pluggedinto the power receptacle 115, and after the door covering the powerreceptacle 115 has been closed and locked. The operator 145 isauthenticated and authorized based on the information the RFID reader330 receives. While in one embodiment of the invention the chargingstation 120 locally stores authentication information (e.g., in theconfiguration/operator data store 370), in other embodiments of theinvention the charging station controller 305 transmits an authorizationrequest with a remote device (e.g., the server 180) via one of thetransceivers 350. For example, the charging station controller causes anauthorization request to be transmitted to the data control unit 170over a WPAN transceiver (e.g., Bluetooth, ZigBee) or a LAN transceiver.The data control unit 170 relays the authorization request to the server180.

In some embodiments of the invention, in addition to or in lieu ofvehicle operators initiating charging sessions with RFID enableddevices, vehicle operators may use the user interface 335 to initiatecharging sessions. For example, vehicle operators may enter in accountand/or payment information through the user interface 335. For example,the user interface 335 may allow the operator 145 to enter in theirusername/password (or other information) and/or payment information. Inother embodiments of the invention, vehicle operators may requestcharging sessions through devices remote to the charging station 120(e.g., payment stations coupled with the charging stations).

After authorizing the operator 145, the charging station controller 305causes the power receptacle 115 to be energized and the door coveringthe power receptacle 115 (if a locked door is covering the powerreceptacle 115) to unlock. For example, the charging station controller305 causes the electricity control device 310 to complete the connectionof the power line 135 to the power grid 130. The electricity controldevice 310 is a solid-state device that is controlled by the chargingstation controller 305 or any other device suitable for controlling theflow of electricity. In addition, the charging station controller 305causes the door covering the power receptacle 115 to unlock allowing theoperator 145 to plug in their charging cord to the power receptacle 115.

In one embodiment of the invention, the charging station 120 includesone or more sensors that may be used to detect when a charging cord hasbeen plugged into the power receptacle 115. The sensors may be a pair ofinfrared emitting diodes (IRED) and a phototransistor or a photodiode.An IRED emits light and a phototransistor or photodiode detects thelight and converts the light into current. When the power receptacle 115receives a plug, that plug breaks the light causing the phototransistorto stop converting light into current. In this way, the charging station120 may determine if a plug has been inserted into the power receptacle115. It should be understood that other sensor technologies may be usedto detect whether a plug has been received at the power receptacle 115(e.g., a microswitch pushbutton, mechanical power receptacle cover thatmust be rotated, etc.). In addition, in some embodiments of theinvention, the charging station 120 also includes sensors to detectwhether the door covering the power receptacle 115 is closed and locked.

The electricity measuring device 320 measures the amount of electricitythat is flowing on the power line 135 through the power receptacle 115.While in one embodiment of the invention the electricity measuringdevice 320 measures flow of current, in an alternative embodiment of theinvention the electricity measuring device 320 measures power draw. Theelectricity measuring device 320 may be an induction coil or otherdevices suitable for measuring electricity. The charging stationcontroller 305 is programmed with instructions to monitor theelectricity measuring device 320 and to calculate the amount ofelectricity being used over a given time period.

The display unit 340 is used to display messages to the operator 145(e.g., charging status, confirmation messages, error messages,notification messages, etc.). The display unit 340 may also displayparking information if the charging station 120 is also acting as aparking meter (e.g., amount of time remaining in minutes, parkingviolation, etc.).

The configuration/operator data store 370 stores configurationinformation which may be set by administrators, owners, or manufacturersof the charging station 120.

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary portals of the server 180 according to oneembodiment of the invention. The subscriber portal 410 includes thesubscriber registration module 415, the charging station locator module420, the charge status module 425, and the subscriber accounting module430. The subscriber registration module 415 allows potential customers(e.g., electric vehicle operators) to sign up for charging services. Forexample, the subscriber registration module 415 collects contact pointinformation from subscribers (e.g., name, address, email address,telephone number, etc.), type of electric vehicle(s) and/or type ofelectricity storage device, and service plan information. Thesubscribers may select between different types and levels of services indifferent embodiments of the invention. For example, the subscribers maychoose between different subscription plans (e.g., pay per chargingsession, nighttime charging, grid-friendly charging (subscribers canonly charge during off-peak times (e.g., early morning, late night, orother times when the grid is experiencing low demand), anytime charging(access to the charging stations twenty-four hours a day), etc.).

In some embodiments of the invention, the subscriber registration module415 also allows subscribers to provide notification message preferencesfor receiving notification messages upon certain events occurring. Forexample, each subscriber may provide a notification message preferenceto receive notification messages for each event that interests them(those events the subscriber wishes to receive notification messageson). The events of interest may include one or more suspension ortermination of a charging session events, one or more charge statusevents, one or more update events, one or more parking events, and/orone or more alarm events. For example, each subscriber may provide anotification message preference for an event in interest (whether theywant to receive a notification message for that event) for the followingevents: fully charged vehicle, charging has been interrupted (e.g., thecharging cord has been removed from the vehicle or has been severed, thestation has encountered a power loss, etc.), the utility operating thepower grid has caused their charging of the vehicle to be suspended(e.g., the load on the grid exceeded a Demand Response threshold), thesubscriber forgot to plug in their charging cord into their vehicle, andother events which will be described in greater detail later herein. Thesubscribers may choose to receive one or any combination of the aboveevents that interest them. In addition, the subscribers may be able tochoose the format of the notification messages (e.g., receive throughemail, through text message, etc.). In addition, the subscribers mayprovide one or more contact points specific for notification messages(e.g., email address(es), text message address(es) (e.g., phonenumber(s)), etc.). It should also be understood that one or more eventsmay have default notification message preference values.

The charging station locator module 420 allows subscribers to locatecharging stations (available and/or unavailable charging stations). Thecharging station locator module 420 may provide an interactive map forthe subscribers to locate charging stations. The charging stationlocator module 420 may also provide an estimated time when the chargingstation will become available for use. Subscribers may also use thecharging station locator module 420 to create a list of favoritecharging station(s) for the server 180 to monitor their availability andnotify the user (e.g., through email or text message) when thosecharging station(s) are available and/or unavailable. In addition, insome embodiments of the invention, the subscribers may use the chargingstation locator module 420 to reserve charging stations for future use.

The charge status module 425 allows subscribers to determine thecharging status of their electric vehicles (that are currently beingcharged). According to one embodiment of the invention, the chargestatus module 425 presents charge status information to the subscriber(e.g., amount of power currently being transferred, total amount ofpower transferred, amount of energy transferred, total amount of energytransferred, the amount of time the charging session has lasted, anestimate of the time left to charge their vehicle, etc.).

The subscriber accounting module 430 allows subscribers to reviewaccounting information (e.g., the number of sessions remaining in theirsubscription, payment and/or invoice information, the amount of energytransferred to the power grid, etc.), and/or generate report(s) (e.g.,illustrating power consumed from the power grid, illustrating powertransferred to the power grid, illustrating an estimate of the amount ofgasoline saved through use of their electric vehicle(s), illustrating anestimate of the amount of greenhouse gases they have saved fromoutputting through use of their electric vehicle(s), illustrating theamount of money saved in gasoline costs through use of their electricvehicle(s), etc.). In addition, the subscriber accounting module 430 mayallow subscribers to review a history of the charging station(s) thatthey most often use.

The host portal 435 allows owners and/or administrators of one or morecharging stations to configure their charging station(s) and performother functions. As used herein, a host is an owner and/or administratorof one or more charging stations. It should also be understood that ahost may include operator(s) and/or administrator(s) of the chargingstation network (e.g., the charging station network 200). The hostportal 435 includes the host registration module 440, the chargingstation configurator module 445, the host accounting module 450, and thecharging station status module 455.

The host registration module 440 allows hosts to register their chargingstation(s) for service and allows hosts to set preferences. For example,the host registration module 440 allows hosts to provide contactinformation (e.g., name, company, address, email address(es), telephonenumber(s), etc.). As another example, the host preferences module 440allows hosts to provide notification message preferences for receivingnotification messages upon certain events occurring. For example, eachhost may provide a notification message preference to receivenotification messages for each event that interests them (those eventsthe host wishes to receive notification messages on). The events ofinterest may include one or more suspension or termination of a chargingsession events, one or more update events, and/or one or more alarmevents. For example, each host may provide a notification messagepreference for any of the following events that interest them: acharging station has failed to respond to a periodic heartbeat from theserver 180, a charging station has unexpectedly rebooted, a chargingstation has detected a problem, a ground fault circuit interrupter(GFCI) has tripped in a charging station, etc. and/or other events whichwill be described in greater detail later herein. Each host may chooseto receive one or any combination of the above events that interestthem, and may specify different notification message preferences fordifferent charging stations. In addition, each host may be able tochoose the format of the notification messages (e.g., receive themthrough email, through text message, etc.). In addition, the hosts mayprovide one or more contact points specific for notification messages(e.g., email address(es), text message address(es) (e.g., phonenumber(s)), etc.). It should also be understood that one or more eventsmay have default notification message preference values.

The charging station configurator module 445 allows hosts to configuretheir charging stations (e.g., set charging station parameters on theircharging station, set access parameters, etc.). The host accountingmodule 450 allows hosts to review accounting information (e.g., powerconsumed by each of their charging station(s), total power consumed byall of their charging station(s), power transferred to the power grid byeach of their charging station(s), total power transferred to the powergrid by all of their charging station(s), account balances, payments andinvoices, etc.).

The charging station status module 455 allows hosts to view the chargingstatus of each of their charging station(s) (e.g., current status(charging, available, out-of-service), reports on occupancy rates oftheir charging station(s), reports on energy usage for each of theircharging station(s), etc.).

The utility portal 460 allows utilities (employees of the utilities) tomonitor and manage the impact on their grid of electric vehiclecharging. The load monitoring module 465 allows utilities to monitor theload for individual charging stations and/or aggregate load of allcharging stations drawing power from their grid. The load monitoringmodule 465 may also provide the amount of load which may be shed-able(e.g., the amount of load being drawn by subscribers which haveregistered for grid-friendly charging, etc.). The utilities may use theinformation from the load monitoring module 465 to determine whether toshed load (e.g., for only those subscribers which have registered forgrid-friendly charging or for all charging sessions). Upon determiningto shed load of some charging stations, the server 180 may send acommand to shut down service to those charging stations. In addition,the load monitoring module 465 may provide a history of use for thecharging stations including the average load drawn at a time for eachcharging station and/or all charging stations.

While the subscriber portal 410, the host portal 435, and the utilityportal 460 have been described with specific modules, it should beunderstood that they may have additional modules, less modules, and/orthe functionality of some modules may be combined.

The server 180 is also programmed to transmit notification messages tosubscribers and hosts based on data received from the charging stations(e.g., charging data, alarm data, etc.), data received from theutilities (e.g., Demand Response data, etc.), data gathered by theserver 180 (e.g., network condition data, etc.), and in some embodimentsof the invention, data received from the electric vehicles. Typicallythese notification messages take the form of electronic messages (e.g.,email messages, text messages, or other forms of electroniccommunication).

The server 180 may be programmed to transmit notification messages tosubscribers, hosts, or other persons, in different situations indifferent embodiments of the invention. For example, in some embodimentsof the invention the server 180 is programmed to transmit notificationmessages to subscribers (or to other person(s) as designated by thesubscribers) and/or hosts upon events that cause charging sessions to beterminated or suspended in the following situations: responsive to theircharging session being administratively terminated by the owner(s)and/or administrator(s) of the charging station, responsive to thecharging station detecting an over-current situation and suspending thecharging session, responsive to the charging station stopping the flowof electricity to their vehicle (e.g., by de-energizing the powerreceptacle), responsive to their charging session expiring and beingsuspended, responsive to receiving a Demand Response message from aUtility to suspend charging to decrease load on the power grid, etc.

As another example, in some embodiments of the invention the server 180is programmed to transmit notification messages to subscribers (or toother person(s) as designated by the subscribers), and/or hosts upon thefollowing charge status events: fully charged vehicle, X percent charge,vehicle is not currently charging (e.g., operator established a chargingsession but has failed to plug their charging cord into their vehicle orthe connection is otherwise faulty), vehicle has resumed charging (e.g.,after being suspended to decrease the load on the power grid), a vehicleis currently transferring electricity to the grid, a vehicle iscurrently drawing electricity from the grid, etc.

The determination that the electricity storage device(s) of an electricvehicle is fully charged may be performed in different ways in differentembodiments of the invention. Typically the storage capability of aparticular electricity storage device for a given electric vehicle isknown based on the type of electric vehicle information collected by thesubscriber registration module 415. From that information, the maximumamount of time needed to charge that electricity storage device may bedetermined. In one embodiment of the invention, the electricity storagedevice of a given electric vehicle is fully charged when at least thetotal amount of electricity transferred to the electricity storagedevice meets or exceeds the storage capability amount of thatelectricity storage device. In another embodiment of the invention, theelectricity storage device of a given electric vehicle is fully chargedat least when the maximum amount of time needed to charge thatelectricity storage device has been meet or exceeded. In anotherembodiment of the invention, if the “trickle charge” amount ofelectricity is known for an electricity storage device, that electricitystorage device is fully charged when that trickle charge amount isdetected. For the embodiments described above, the determination istypically based on data received from the charging stations.

In another embodiment of the invention, the determination of a fullycharged vehicle is made based on information collected from the electricvehicles. For example, some electric vehicles have the capability oftransmitting status information (e.g., via PLC, WPAN, etc.) of theirelectricity storage devices (e.g., percent full, amount of energy neededuntil a full charge, full charge, etc.). This data may be transmitteddirectly or indirectly to the server 180 and/or the charging station120. The server 180 and/or the charging station 120 may use the data totransmit charge status notification messages. For example, the server180 and/or the charging station 120 may use this information incombination with the amount of electricity being transferred to theelectricity storage device to determine a fully charged electricitystorage device. Alternatively or additionally, the server 180 and/orcharging station 120 may transmit fully charged vehicle notificationmessages responsive to receiving a fully charged message from theelectric vehicle.

In one embodiment of the invention, the server 180 is programmed todetermine that a subscriber has established a charging session with acharging station but has failed to plug their charging cord into theirvehicle by examining the charging data received from that chargingstation. For example, if the charging data indicates that the chargingsession has been established for a threshold amount of seconds and theelectricity transferred is below a certain threshold, the server 180 maynotify the subscriber that charging has not occurred. In addition, theserver 180 may transmit a command to the charging station instructing itto suspend the session and prevent electricity from flowing through thepower receptacle.

In one embodiment of the invention, the server 180 is programmed totransmit notification messages to those subscribers (or to otherperson(s) as designated by the subscribers) which have established acharging session but have failed to plug their charging cord into theirvehicle (or otherwise have a bad connection to their vehicle). Forexample, a vehicle operator has been authorized to use a chargingstation, a charging cord has been inserted into a power receptacle ofthe charging station, the door covering the power receptacle (if oneexists) is closed and locked, but the vehicle operator has forgotten toplug the charging cord into their vehicle.

In one embodiment of the invention, the server 180 determines that asubscriber has established a charging session with a charging stationbut has failed to plug their charging cord into their vehicle byexamining the charging data received from that charging station. Forexample, if the charging data indicates that the charging session hasbeen established for a threshold amount of seconds and the electricitytransferred is below a certain threshold, the server 180 may notify thesubscriber that charging has not occurred. In addition, the server 180may transmit a command to the charging station instructing it to suspendthe session and prevent electricity from flowing through the powerreceptacle.

As another example, in some embodiments of the invention the server 180is programmed to transmit notification messages responsive to an alarmgenerated by a charging station or triggered by the server 180. Thesenotification messages may be sent to the appropriate operators,administrators, and/or owners of the charging stations experiencing analarm event and/or to the subscribers using a charging station that isexperiencing an alarm event. Example alarm events include the following:a charging station has failed to respond to a periodic heartbeat fromthe server 180, a charging station has unexpectedly rebooted, a chargingstation has detected a problem (hardware and/or software), a GFCI in thecharging station has tripped, a software and/or firmware update/upgradeon a charging station has completed and/or failed, the software and/orfirmware on a charging station has reverted to an old version, etc.

As another example, in some embodiments of the invention the server 180is programmed to transmit update notification messages to thesubscribers responsive to certain update events. Example update eventsinclude the following: a favorite charging station or often usedcharging station is available and/or unavailable, a new charging stationhas been installed in a close location, a subscriber has run out of (oris close to running out of) charging sessions, a subscriber has failedor completed a credit card authorization check (e.g., credit card hasexpired), the door covering the power receptacle where their chargingcord is attached has been opened by an unauthorized user, etc.

As yet another example, in some embodiments of the invention the server180 is programmed to transmit notification messages to subscribersresponsive to parking events including the following: exceeded parkingtime (or close to exceeding the parking time), parking reservationconfirmation, unused parking reservation (e.g., a subscriber hasreserved a parking spot but did not use the spot and/or did not chargeat a corresponding charging station), parking reservation time extensionconfirmation, etc.

While embodiments have been described with reference to the servertransmitting notification messages, in alternative embodiments of theinvention the charging stations may include logic to determine whetherto transmit notification messages to subscribers and/or hosts. Forexample, the charging station controller 305 may be programmed todetermine whether to transmit notification messages to subscribers usingthe charging station or to the host associated with the chargingstation. Thus, in some embodiments of the invention, the chargingstation 120 may include the notification message preferences of theoperator 145 and the administrator(s) and/or owner(s) of the chargingstation 120. In addition, in some embodiments, the charging stations maytransmit the notification messages to subscribers and/or hosts.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary operations fortransmitting notification messages to subscribers according to oneembodiment of the invention. The operations of FIG. 5 will be describedwith reference to the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 4. However,it should be understood that the operations of FIG. 5 can be performedby embodiments of the invention other than those discussed withreference to FIGS. 1 and 4, and the embodiments discussed with referenceto FIGS. 1 and 4 can perform operations different than those discussedwith reference to FIG. 5.

According to one embodiment of the invention the operations of FIG. 5are performed by servers (e.g., the server 180). At block 510, theserver 180 receives notification message preferences for a subscriber(e.g., the operator 145) which indicate one or more events of interestwhich the subscriber wishes to receive notification messages on. Whilein one embodiment of the invention the server 180 receives thesenotification message preferences from the subscriber using thesubscriber registration module 415, in other embodiments of theinvention the server 180 receives these notification message preferencesdifferently (e.g., via email, via text message, from a charging station,etc.). Flow moves from block 510 to block 520.

At block 520, the server 180 receives a set of one or more contactpoints (e.g., email address(es), text message address(es), etc.)associated with the subscriber. While in one embodiment of the inventionthe server 180 receives the set of contact points from the subscriberusing the subscriber registration module 415, in other embodiments ofthe invention the server 180 receives the set of contact pointsdifferently (e.g., via email, via text message, from a charging station,etc.). Flow moves from block 520 to block 530.

At block 530, the server 180 authorizes the subscriber to use a chargingstation. For example, the server 180 authorizes the operator 145 to usethe charging station 120. In some embodiments, the authorization isperformed in response to the server 180 receiving an authorizationrequest from the charging station 120, while in other embodiments, theauthorization is performed in response to the server 180 receiving anauthorization request from the subscriber (e.g., the operator 145)directly. Flow moves from block 530 to block 540.

At block 540, the server 180 receives data associated with thesubscriber that indicates a charging session has been established for anelectric vehicle (e.g., electric vehicle 110) associated with thesubscriber. The data received may be transmitted by the charging station120. The data includes information identifying the subscriber (e.g., anRFID tag uniquely associated with the subscriber) and informationindicating that a charging session has been established. Flow moves fromblock 540 to block 550.

At block 550, the server 180 detects an event of interest for thesubscriber. The server 180 may detect an event of interest for thesubscriber (e.g., operator 145) based on data received from the chargingstations (e.g., data related to the charging of the vehicle 110, datarelated to alarms detected and/or generated at the charging station,etc.), data received from the utility operating the power grid 130(e.g., Demand Response data, etc.), data gathered by the server 180(e.g., network condition data, etc.), data provided by theadministrator(s) and/or owner(s) of the charging station 120, (e.g.,network operation data), and in some embodiments of the invention, datareceived from the electric vehicle 110 (e.g., data related to thecharging of the electric vehicle 110). Flow moves from block 550 toblock 560.

Responsive to detecting an event of interest for the subscriber, atblock 560 the server 180 transmits a notification message for that eventto at least one of the contact points associated with the subscriber.The notification message sent is an email, text message, or otherelectronic communication to one or more addresses as specified by thesubscriber (which may be provided using the subscriber registrationmodule 415). As described above, the subscriber may specify the formatof the notification message (e.g., email, text message, etc.) and therecipient of the message using the subscriber registration module 415.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary operations fortransmitting notification messages to hosts according to one embodimentof the invention. The operations of FIG. 6 will be described withreference to the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 4. However, itshould be understood that the operations of FIG. 6 can be performed byembodiments of the invention other than those discussed with referenceto FIGS. 1 and 4, and the embodiments discussed with reference to FIGS.1 and 4 can perform operations different than those discussed withreference to FIG. 6. In addition, the operations described withreference to FIG. 6 may be performed in combination to, or separatefrom, the operations described with reference to FIG. 5.

At block 610, the server 180 receives notification message preferencesfor a host (e.g., an owner or administrator of the charging station 120and/or operator(s) and/or administrator(s) of the charging stationnetwork 200) which indicates one or more events of interest which thehost wishes to receive notification messages for. While in oneembodiment of the invention the server 180 receives these notificationmessage preferences from the host using the host registration module440, in other embodiments of the invention the server 180 receives thesepreferences differently (e.g., via email, via text message, etc.). Flowmoves from block 610 to block 620.

At block 620, the server 180 receives a set of one or more contactpoints (e.g., email address(es), text message address(es), etc.)associated with the host. While in one embodiment of the invention theserver 180 receives the set of contact points from the host using thehost registration module 440, in other embodiments of the invention theserver 180 receives the set of contact points differently (e.g., viaemail, via text message, etc.). Flow moves from block 620 to block 630.

At block 630, the server 180 detects an event of interest for the host.The server 180 may detect an event of interest for the host based ondata received from those charging station(s) the host owns or operates(e.g., data related to vehicle charging at their charging station(s),data related to alarms detected and/or generated at their chargingstation(s), etc.), data received from the utility(ies) operating thepower grid(s) for their charging station(s) (e.g., Demand Response data,etc.), data gathered by the server 180 for their charging station(s)(e.g., network condition data, hardware/software upgrade status of thecharging stations, etc.), and in some embodiments of the invention, datareceived from the electric vehicles (e.g., data related to the chargingof the electric vehicles at their charging station(s)). Flow moves fromblock 630 to 640.

Responsive to detecting an event of interest for the host, at block 640the server 180 transmits a notification message for that event to atleast one of the contact points associated with the host. Thenotification message sent is an email, text message, or other electroniccommunication to one or more addresses as specified by the host (whichmay be provided using the host registration module 440). As describedabove, the host may specify the format of the notification message(e.g., email, text message, etc.) and the recipient of the message usingthe host registration module 440.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary architecture of acomputing device which may be used in embodiments of the invention. Forexample, the architecture of the computing device 700 may be anarchitecture of the server 180 and or the charging station 120 in someembodiments of the invention. It should be understood that while FIG. 7illustrates various components of a computing device, it is not intendedto represent any particular architecture or manner of interconnectingthe components as such details are not germane to the present invention.It will be appreciated that other computing devices that have fewercomponents or more components may also be used with the presentinvention.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the computing device 700 includes the bus(es)750 which is coupled with the processing system 720, power supply 725,memory 730, and the nonvolatile memory 740 (e.g., a hard drive, flashmemory, Phase-Change Memory (PCM), etc.). The bus(es) 750 may beconnected to each other through various bridges, controllers, and/oradapters as is well known in the art. The processing system 720 mayretrieve instruction(s) from the memory 730 and/or the nonvolatilememory 740, and execute the instructions to perform operations asdescribed above. The bus 750 interconnects the above components togetherand also interconnects those components to the display controller &display device 770, Input/Output device(s) 780 (e.g., NIC (NetworkInterface Card), a cursor control (e.g., mouse, touchscreen, touchpad,etc.), a keyboard, etc.), and the transceiver(s) 1290 (wiredtransceiver(s) (e.g., Ethernet, power line communication (PLC), etc.)and/or wireless transceiver(s) (e.g., 802.15.4 (e.g., ZigBee, etc.),Bluetooth, WiFi, Infrared, GPRS/GSM, CDMA, RFID, etc.)).

While embodiments of the invention have been described in reference tothe power receptacles receiving charging cords, in alternativeembodiments of the invention the charging cord may be attacheddifferently to the charging station (e.g., the charging cord ispermanently attached to the power receptacle and each of the electricvehicle operators use the same charging cord, the charging cord ispermanently attached to the electricity source of the charging station,etc.).

While the flow diagrams in the figures show a particular order ofoperations performed by certain embodiments of the invention, it shouldbe understood that such order is exemplary (e.g., alternativeembodiments may perform the operations in a different order, combinecertain operations, overlap certain operations, etc.)

While the invention has been described in terms of several embodiments,those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is notlimited to the embodiments described, can be practiced with modificationand alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Thedescription is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.

1. A method performed on a charging station network server that managesa plurality of charging stations, the method comprising: receivingsubscriber notification message preferences for a subscriber of electricvehicle charging service that indicate a set of one or more events ofinterest for which the subscriber wishes to receive notificationmessages, wherein at least one of the set of events of interest ischarging session related; receiving data associated with the subscriberthat indicates a charging session at one of the plurality of chargingstations has been established for an electric vehicle associated withthe subscriber; detecting one of the set of one or more events ofinterest for which the subscriber wishes to receive notificationmessages; and responsive to the detecting one of the set of one or moreevents of interest for which the subscriber wishes to receivenotification messages, transmitting a notification message for thatevent of interest to the subscriber.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe notification message is transmitted to at least one of a set of oneor more contact points associated with the subscriber through an emailmessage, a text message, or other electronic communication.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the detected event of interest for thesubscriber corresponds with a suspension or termination of the chargingsession.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected event ofinterest for the subscriber corresponds with a charge status event. 5.The method of claim 1, further comprising: wherein at least another oneof the set of events of interest is related to an update event;detecting the update event; and responsive to the detecting the updateevent, transmitting a notification message for the update event to thesubscriber.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: wherein atleast another one of the set of events of interest is related to aparking event; detecting the parking event; and responsive to thedetecting the parking event, transmitting a notification message for theparking event to the subscriber.
 7. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving host notification message preferences for a hostof the charging station network server that indicate one or more eventsof interest for which the host wishes to receive notification messages;detecting one of the one or more events of interest for which the hostwishes to receive notification messages; and responsive to the detectingthe one of the one or more events of interest for which the host wishesto receive notification messages, transmitting a notification messagefor that event of interest to the host.
 8. The method of claim 7,wherein the notification message is transmitted to at least one of a setof one or more contact points associated with the host through an emailmessage, a text message, or other electronic communication.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the detected event of interest for the hostcorresponds with an alarm event that is one of: one of the plurality ofcharging stations has failed to respond to a periodic heartbeat from thecharging station network server, one of the plurality of chargingstations has unexpectedly rebooted, one of the plurality of chargingstations has detected a hardware or software problem, a ground faultcircuit interrupter on one of the plurality of charging stations hastripped, a firmware update on one of the plurality of charging stationshas completed, a firmware update on one of the plurality of chargingstations has failed, and one of the plurality of charging stations hasreverted to a previous firmware version.
 10. A charging station networkserver that manages a plurality of charging stations, comprising: aprocessor to execute instructions, and a memory coupled with theprocessor, the memory storing one or more instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processor to perform operations including, receivesubscriber notification message preferences for a subscriber of electricvehicle charging service that indicate a set of one or more events ofinterest for which the subscriber wishes to receive notificationmessages, wherein at least one of the set of events of interest ischarging session related; receive data associated with the subscriberthat indicates a charging session at one of the plurality of chargingstations has been established for an electric vehicle associated withthe subscriber; detect one of the set of one or more events of interestfor which the subscriber wishes to receive notification messages; andresponsive to the detection of one of the set of one or more events ofinterest for which the subscriber wishes to receive notificationmessages, transmit a notification message for that event of interest tothe subscriber.
 11. The charging station network server of claim 10,wherein the notification message is to be transmitted to at least one ofa set of one or more contact points associated with the subscriberthrough an email message, a text message, or other electroniccommunication.
 12. The charging station network server of claim 10,wherein the detected event of interest for the subscriber correspondswith a suspension or termination of the charging session.
 13. Thecharging station network server of claim 10, wherein the detected eventof interest for the subscriber corresponds with a charge status event.14. The charging station network server of claim 10, wherein the memoryfurther stores one or more instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to perform operations including: wherein at least another oneof the set of events of interest is related to an update event; detectthe update event; and responsive to the detection of the update event,transmit a notification message for the update event to the subscriber.15. The charging station network server of claim 10, wherein the memoryfurther stores one or more instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to perform operations including: wherein at least another oneof the set of events of interest is related to a parking event; detectthe parking event; and responsive to the detection of the parking event,transmit a notification message for the parking event to the subscriber.16. The charging station network server of claim 10, wherein the memoryfurther stores one or more instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to perform operations including: receive host notificationmessage preferences for a host of the charging station network serverthat indicate one or more events of interest for which the host wishesto receive notification messages; detect one of the one or more eventsof interest for which the host wishes to receive notification messages;and responsive to the detection of the one of the one or more events ofinterest for which the host wishes to receive notification messages,transmit a notification message for that event of interest to the host.17. The charging station network server of claim 16, wherein thenotification message is to be transmitted to at least one of a set ofone or more contact points associated with the host through an emailmessage, a text message, or other electronic communication.
 18. Thecharging station network server of claim 17, wherein the detected eventof interest for the host corresponds with an alarm event that is one of:one of the plurality of charging stations has failed to respond to aperiodic heartbeat from the charging station network server, one of theplurality of charging stations has unexpectedly rebooted, one of theplurality of charging stations has detected a hardware or softwareproblem, a ground fault circuit interrupter on one of the plurality ofcharging stations has tripped, a firmware update on one of the pluralityof charging stations has completed, a firmware update on one of theplurality of charging stations has failed, and one of the plurality ofcharging stations has reverted to a previous firmware version.
 19. Amachine-readable storage medium that provides instructions that, whenexecuted by a processor on a charging station network server thatmanages a plurality of charging stations, cause said processor toperform operations comprising: receiving subscriber notification messagepreferences for a subscriber of electric vehicle charging service thatindicate a set of one or more events of interest for which thesubscriber wishes to receive notification messages, wherein at least oneof the set of events of interest is charging session related; receivingdata associated with the subscriber that indicates a charging session atone of the plurality of charging stations has been established for anelectric vehicle associated with the subscriber; detecting one of theset of one or more events of interest for which the subscriber wishes toreceive notification messages; and responsive to the detecting one ofthe set of one or more events of interest for which the subscriberwishes to receive notification messages, transmitting a notificationmessage for that event of interest to the subscriber.
 20. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the notificationmessage is transmitted to at least one of a set of one or more contactpoints associated with the subscriber through an email message, a textmessage, or other electronic communication.
 21. The machine-readablestorage medium of claim 19, wherein the detected event of interest forthe subscriber corresponds with a suspension or termination of thecharging session.
 22. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19,wherein the detected event of interest for the subscriber correspondswith a charge status event.
 23. The machine-readable storage medium ofclaim 19, wherein the operations further comprise: wherein at leastanother one of the set of events of interest is related to an updateevent; detecting the update event; and responsive to the detecting theupdate event, transmitting a notification message for the update eventto the subscriber.
 24. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19,wherein the operations further comprise: wherein at least another one ofthe set of events of interest is related to a parking event; detectingthe parking event; and responsive to the detecting the parking event,transmitting a notification message for the parking event to thesubscriber.
 25. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, whereinthe operations further comprise: receiving host notification messagepreferences for a host of the charging station network server thatindicate one or more events of interest for which the host wishes toreceive notification messages; detecting one of the one or more eventsof interest for which the host wishes to receive notification messages;and responsive to the detecting the one of the one or more events ofinterest for which the host wishes to receive notification messages,transmitting a notification message for that event of interest to thehost.
 26. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein thenotification message is transmitted to at least one of a set of one ormore contact points associated with the host through an email message, atext message, or other electronic communication.
 27. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the detected eventof interest for the host corresponds with an alarm event that is one of:one of the plurality of charging stations has failed to respond to aperiodic heartbeat from the charging station network server, one of theplurality of charging stations has unexpectedly rebooted, one of theplurality of charging stations has detected a hardware or softwareproblem, a ground fault circuit interrupter on one of the plurality ofcharging stations has tripped, a firmware update on one of the pluralityof charging stations has completed, a firmware update on one of theplurality of charging stations has failed, and one of the plurality ofcharging stations has reverted to a previous firmware version.